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Emily Edwards

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Research fellow, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Laboratory, Monash University

Dr Emily Edwards completed her Bachelor of Applied Biomedical Sciences (Honours) at Cardiff Metropolitan University (formerly UWIC) in 2007, during which time she undertook a trainee Biomedical Scientist placement at the University Hospital of Wales’ Biochemistry and Immunology Department (2005-2006). She then undertook her PhD in Prof. Linda Wooldridge’s laboratory at Cardiff University where she investigated the impact of peptide modification on the priming of antigen-specific CD8 T cell responses. Emily moved to Australia in 2011 to join Prof. Rajiv Khanna’s laboratory at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane where she investigated the characteristics of cytomegalovirus-specific CD4 T cells. In 2014, Emily moved to Sydney to join Prof. Stuart Tangye’s laboratory at the Garvan Institute. Here Emily investigated how genetic mutations cause inefficient control of Epstein-Barr Virus in Primary Immunodeficient patients primarily focusing on the CD8 T cell response. Emily was part of an international collaboration responsible for the first description of CD70-deficiency, a study that was highlighted as an Editors Choice in Science Immunology. Emily’s research over the past four years has seen her expand her work to investigate NK cells, CD4 T cells and B cells in the context of primary immunodeficiencies. In early 2018, Emily joined the laboratory of Assoc. Prof. Menno van Zelm. Emily’s work currently focuses on investigating the impact of genetic mutations on B cell differentiation and function in patients with primary immunodeficiencies.
Emily has a passion for understanding how genetic mutations impact on immune function particularly in the context of viral control, malignancy and autoimmunity.

Emily is a member of the JMF Centre for Primary Immunodeficiencies Melbourne (https://www.jmf-melbourne.org.au/) and maintains the centre's social media platforms including facebook and their website. In addition, to Emily’s research in to Primary Immunodeficiencies, she is also a keen advocate for public and professional awareness of these diverse group of rare diseases. Emily is currently the Vice President, of Australian patient organisation AusPIPS (Australian Primary Immunodeficiency Patient Support; https://www.auspips.org.au/) Inc., which supports and advocates for patients with immunodeficiencies.

Experience

  • 2018–present
    Postdoctoral research fellow, Immunology, Monash University
  • 2014–2018
    Postdoctoral research fellow, Immunology, Garvan Institute
  • 2011–2013
    Postdoctoral research fellow, Immunology, QIMR Berghofer

Education

  • 2011 
    Cardiff University, PhD
  • 2007 
    Cardiff Metropolitan (formerly UWIC), BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science

Publications

  • 2021
    Beyond monogenetic rare variants: tackling the low rate of genetic diagnoses in predominantly antibody deficiency,
  • 2021
    Beyond monogenetic rare variants: tackling the low rate of genetic diagnoses in predominantly antibody deficiency,
  • 2020
    Influenza-specific IgG1+ memory B-cell numbers increase upon booster vaccination in healthy adults but not in patients with predominantly antibody deficiency,
  • 2020
    Diversity of XMEN Disease: Description of 2 Novel Variants and Analysis of the Lymphocyte Phenotype,
  • 2020
    Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Hapten-Clicked Analogues of The Antigenic Peptide Melan-A/MART-126(27L)-35,
  • 2020
    Rapid generation of durable B cell memory to SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid proteins in COVID-19 and convalescence,
  • 2020
    Extended clinical and immunological phenotype and transplant outcome in CD27 and CD70 deficiency,
  • 2019
    Activating mutations in PIK3CD disrupt the differentiation and function of human and murine CD4 + T cells,
  • 2019
    Activating PIK3CD mutations impair human cytotoxic lymphocytes differentiation, function and EBV immunity,
  • 2019
    Predominantly Antibody-Deficient Patients With Non-infectious Complications Have Reduced Naive B, Treg, Th17, and Tfh17 Cells,
  • 2018
    Peptide mimic for influenza vaccination using non-natural combinatorial chemistry,
  • 2017
    Human Immunity to EBV-lessons from the clinic,
  • 2017
    Combined immunodeficiency and Epstein-Barr virus-induced B cell malignancy in humans with inherited CD70 deficiency,
  • 2014
    Phenotypic and Transcriptional profile correlates with functional plasticity of antigen specific CD4+ T-cells,
  • 2012
    T-cell receptor-optimized peptide skewing of the T-cell repertoire can enhance antigen targeting,
  • 2011
    Anti-CD8 antibodies can trigger CD8+ T cell effector function in the absence of TCR engagement and improve peptide-MHCI tetramer staining,
  • 2010
    Design, synthesis and evaluation of beta-lactam antigenic peptide hybrids; unusual opening of the beta-lactam ring in acidic media,
  • 2010
    Modification of MHC anchor residues generates heteroclitic peptides that alter TCR binding and T cell recognition,
  • 2010
    MHC class I molecules with Superenhanced CD8 binding properties bypass requirement for cognate TCR recognition and nonspecifically activate CTLs,
  • 2009
    Protein kinase inhibitors substantially improve the physical detection of T-cells with peptide-MHC tetramers,

Professional Memberships

  • Australasian Society for Immunology
  • British Society for Immunology
  • European Society for Immunodeficiencies
  • Victorian Infection and Immunology Network